Puerto Vallarta police probe whether 3 women’s deaths are connected

The discovery of multiple women dead in a popular American tourist destination has local officials investigating whether there may be a larger trend.

Over the past few weeks, authorities in Puerto Vallarta in the Mexican state of Jalisco, a hotspot for American tourism, have found the women’s bodies in different parts of the city. local reports.

Although none of the victims were identified, police said the women were all between 30 and 35 years old, had tattoos and were found partially nude.

Police are therefore investigating whether there is a connection between the deaths.

Mexico News Daily reported that authorities were also investigating the possibility that the women were killed elsewhere and dumped in Puerto Vallarta, as no friends or relatives of the women came forward to claim any of the bodies.

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The first body was found on May 10, and a second body was found just a few days later. The discovery of the third body last Thursday fueled fears that the crime could happen again.

The women’s bodies were found in three separate locations outside the city, away from the crowded areas where most residents live and where most tourists like to holiday.

A beach scene at Playa de los Muertos in the Romantic Zone of Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco, Mexico, on April 28, 2025. (Wolfgang Kaehler/LightRocket)

Approximately 1.7 million tourists visited Puerto Vallarta in 2022, the latest statistics available. The vast majority of these tourists were Americans.

Violence broke out in the state of Jalisco following the death of cartel leader Nemesio Rubén Oseguera Cervantes, nicknamed “El Mencho”.

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Following the murder of Oseguera Cervantes, the Jalisco New Generation cartel responded by setting fire to vehicles and buildings and creating barricades in the state’s capital, Guadalajara. Seven people, including Oseguera Cervantes, were killed in clashes with Mexican authorities.

Smoke rises from burning vehicles on highways in Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco, Mexico, on Feb. 22, 2026, following a military operation that a government source said killed Mexican drug lord Nemesio Oseguera, known as “El Mencho.” (Morelifediares/Reuters)

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At the height of the violence in February, hundreds of Americans were stranded in the state and the State Department increased its travel warning.

Since then, the region has stabilized.